Earlier today, LG finally, officially announced the LG V20. After what has felt like months and months of teasing, the V20 is finally here and it should come as no surprise to many of you that it is essentially an improvement over the LG V10 from last year. Last year’s first entry into the V-Series was one hell of a smartphone, and while it might not have sold as well as LG would have wanted it to, it became something of a cult favorite, thanks in no small part to all of the extra features and roomy display that it shipped with. Still, if the V20 is the latest and greatest from LG, what makes it so special?
There are a couple of key areas that make the V20 what it is, and one of them is the camera. Unlike most smartphones, the V20 ships with two cameras at the rear, a standard 16-megapixel camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a wider-angle 8.0-megapixel with an aperture of f/2.4. This is the same setup as the G5 from earlier this year, and both of them feature Optical Image Stabilization, with the wider-angle option making it easier for capturing everything in one single scene. This isn’t something that everyone will want from a smartphone, but it’s something that will make taking pictures on the move a lot easier if you find yourself stepping back a lot of the time. These cameras are backed up with something else that makes the V20 special, the inclusion of some great camera modes. With improved image stabilization while recording video, LG calls this Steady Record 2.0, which combines the standard OIS inside of the cameras and some software that uses the Gyro in the V20 itself to further correct things. On top of this, LG is also packing in some film simulation modes to be used while filming video as well as for photos.
One of the biggest features of the V20 is unavoidable however, and this is the second screen just above that spacious 5.7-inch Quad HD display. This time around, LG have made it a little larger, and have made it almost twice as bright, certainly making it a lot more useful for a lot of people. The second screen can be used for your signature tagline, as seen above, or it can be used for extra controls in certain apps, to keep content focused on the below display. What some might seem as a strange quirk, others see as a genuine addition, and LG say it was one of the most popular features of the V10.
Many might remember the V10’s high-end audio features, and these are back for another year. The V20 features four different DACs (digital-to-analog converters), all Sabre ESS9218 models, which work together to ensure that the V20 is one of the best-sounding smartphones on the market. With support for lossless codecs such as FLAC, DSD and AIFF, the V20 can handle practically every and any format out there, and will appeal to big listeners of 24-bit audio and uncompressed files. This will also allow for playback of MP3s and streamed music at upscaled 24-bit quality. On top of this, LG make this a phone great for recording sound, not just playing it back, this includes the option to record in LPCM formats at 24-bit, with no file compression whatsoever, which is the sort of thing you usually only find in professional audio gear.
